It may have taken Jeff Suttle several months, but the Cardiff halibut fisherman has caught the big one that got away.

In December, Suttle headed out for his secret “Halibut Honey Hole,” located somewhere near Ponto Beach in Carlsbad. He only had a three-pack of Berkley Gulp Squid bait, but that was enough to haul in a 34-inch flattie on his first cast.

On his second cast he hooked an even bigger halibut, but after a short struggle, the big fish broke off right as it reached shore.

“I wanted that fish and I’ve been out a few times to try and catch him, but only caught a few legals, about 24 and 25 inches,” Suttle said.

Halibut anglers are not allowed to keep anything under 22 inches in length.

He’s a technical fisherman, who watches the tides, knows the right bait and most importantly where the best holes are for halibut up and down the North County coastline. He has learned the best times to fish are when the tide is turning, especially an incoming tide.

“You don’t want a screaming high or low tide, just and easy tide,” Suttle said.

It looked like a good day so he headed for his honey hole equipped with live anchovies, what he calls the bait “sweet spot” for halibut.

On his second cast he hooked up with a 26-inch halibut that he released. About a half hour later a bigger fish took his anchovy.

The fight was on and with only 12-pound line; Suttle knew he had a challenge. It took almost 10 minutes to bring the big halibut in.

“He swallowed the anchovy completely and the line was coming out over his sharp teeth. There are more ways to lose a fish than to catch them,” Suttle said.

But he had this one and it measured 36 inches in length and weighed 26 pounds, a personal best for Suttle.

I’ve fed the neighborhood. When I come home with fresh fish I’m the king,” he said.

His next goal?

“I’ve seen them up to 45 pounds, so that would be nice, but I just keep going to keep fishing,” Suttle said.

Rattlesnake avoidance

A rattlesnake avoidance class is being offered for hunting dogs at the Raney Ranch in Santa Ysabel on April 6 and 7.

The April 6 training is open to dogs not currently in training at Raney Ranch and owners are asked to make reservations by April 1. Training will begin at 9 a.m.

Cost of the class is $75 and will include a field barbecue lunch.

In addition to the dog training, a veterinarian will be giving rattlesnake vaccinations. Cost is $29 per dog.

To make reservations, contact the Raney Ranch at (760) 782-0484. For additional information, visit raneyranchretrievers.com.

Local lakes

The big fish continue to bite at North County Lakes, with Lake Wohlford producing a new lake record trout weighing in at 16.95 pounds. The monster trout was caught by Phanomvanh Kounborin using a nightcrawler on the southern shore. Other notable trout weighing 8.85 and 7.60 pounds were also checked in this week.

Bass fishing at Dixon has also picked up with smaller bass moving into the shallows as the spawn nears.

Ranger Richard Studinka said there were several reports of anglers catching and releasing bass up to 3 pounds.

“Some of the bigger bass in the 6- to 8-pound range have been seen cruising around but not taking any interest in biting,” Studinka said.

Bass are also becoming more active at Lake Wohlford, with a 7.45-pound largemouth being caught my Justin Kennedy, who was tossing a plastic worm at the Senior Shoreline.

Look for bigger bass to start biting as longer days and warmer weather bring up water temperatures.

Fishing regulations

New 2013-2014 Ocean Sport Fishing Regulation booklets are now available at California Department of Fish and Wildlife offices and wherever sport fishing licenses are sold.

Regulation changes include new size and bag limits for kelp bass, sand bass and spotted bass, and new at-sea fillet size requirements for these basses and ocean whitefish.

Changes also include new regulations for groundfish, Northern California marine protected areas and sturgeon. Regulation changes are highlighted throughout the booklet for quick reference.

Effective March 1, 2013, new size, bag and fillet size limits are in effect for kelp bass, sand bass and spotted sand bass. Bass must now be at least 14 inches total length or 10 inches alternate length (measured from base of foremost spine of dorsal fin to longest tip of tail), and fillets must be at least 71/2 inches long and retain a 1-inch square patch of skin when filleted at sea. The new bag limit for these basses is five fish in combination.

Also effective March 1, 2013, fillets from ocean whitefish filleted at sea must now measure at least 61/2 inches long, and the entire skin must remain intact.

The new regulations are also available online at http://www.dfg.ca.gov/marine/sportfishing_regs2013.asp.

If you have a story of interest, call (760) 518-8050 or email ernie@packtrain.com